Transparent hat box



1.. DE F. HOKERK 2,141,839

TRANSPARENT HAT BOX Filed March 10, 1937 Patented Dec. 27, 1938 UNITED STATES TRANSPARENT HAT BOX Lynde De F. Hokerk, I ltica, N. Y., assignor. to

Kerk Guild, Inc., Whitesboro, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application March 1011937, Serial N0. 130,199

3 Claims.

This invention relates to containers for hats and other articles.

In households in particular, men and women very often store the hats not being worn in paste- 5 board and other boxes having a removable lid or cover. Frequently, the lids or covers of several boxes are removed before the particular hat desired is obtained, unless there be some designa tion on the box as to the nature of the hat contained'therein. The same practice is sometimes followed in stores. containers are generally composed of pasteboard or otherwise constructed so that the contents of the boxes or containers are not observable withi5 tainer, unless, as stated, there is some designation on the box or container as to the nature of the particular hat contained or stored therein. This method of access to the hat or other article desired consumes time, and it is the primary object of the present invention to provide a practical, eflicient container or receptacle for storing hats or other articles embodying a transparent wall through which the hat or other article may be easily seen and identified without removal of the lid or cover of the container, or for the convenience of the user in selecting the particular hat or other article desired among a series of receptacles, containers or boxes.

' Another object of the invention resides in the provision of a box or container provided with a transparent wall formed of a thin gauge material which is so reenforced as to provide the necessary strength and durability required of a box or concessfully withstand repeated handling over a considerable period of time.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a container or box of the nature stated, and of round, cylindrical or any other suitable shape, in which the side wall of the box is composed of transparent material such as thin cellulose or other suitable material which has its ends so joined to the remaining portions of the members of the container or box as to be permitted to have a limited relative movement for taking care of the normal unequal expansion and contraction of these materials and in such a manner as to avoid wrinkling or distortion of the transparent side wall of the box or container. I

It is still further designed to provide a container or box for hats or other articles having a transparent side wall whose upper cover-receiving edge is covered and reenforced in a manner to preserve its shape, impart strength to the side These hat boxes or out removing the lid or cover of the box or con-' tainer of the nature stated and which will sucwall as a whole and to avoid thadanger of splitting of the material thereof.

With the above and other objects in view, the' invention consists in the construction and novel combination and arrangement of parts herein- 5 after fully described, illustrated in the" accompanying drawing and pointed out in the claims hereto appended, it being understood that various changes in the form, proportion and minor details of construction, within the scope of the 10 claims, may be resorted to without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

Figure l is a side elevation of the improved receptacle of this invention.

Figure 2 is a horizontal sectional view taken centrally therethrough.

Figure 3 is an enlarged vertical sectional view through one side thereof.

' Figure 4 is a fragmentary side view of a por- 20 tion of the upper edge of the box wall, and

Figure 5 is a similar view of a portion of the bottom edge of the wall, with the inner expanding band removed.

Referring now to these figures, and particu- 25 larly to Figures 1 and 2, the invention proposes a receptacle in the nature of a box for the protection or storage of hats and like articles. In

the particular form and embodiment as shown,

the box includes a circular bottom l0 and a similarly shaped cover or lid H, the former having an upstanding annular flange I2 and the latter a depending flange l3. Each of theseparts may be formed of various materials, though fibre preferable.

The wall ll of the box is constituted byla single section. of a suitable transparent material such as Cellulose, which, by reason of c'ertain features to be presently described, may be of thin 40 gauge, say, .020 inch, so that the contents of the box will be plainly visible and a pleasing appearance' is presented. This section of material is shown with 'circumferentially overlapping end portions l5 which are suitably joined, as by means of a transparent adhesive, so that a cylindrical wall isthus formed with a vertical reenforcin'g seam and of a size to be telescoped at its upper edge by the flange l3 of the cover II, and to telescope at its lower edge within the flange I2 of the box bottom Ill.

Around and within the upper edge of the transparent wall I4 is a cardboard or other reenforcing band l6 so placed that its upper edgeis flush with the upper edge of the wall to permit or the commonly employed cardboard is of embracing and covering both said edges by means of a, leather, fabric or other flexible binding tape or edging I1. This tape or edging I! may be secured to the reenforcing band It and the upper edge of the wall I 4 by a suitable adhesive or, as shown, by stitches l8 through these parts along a line paralleling the upper edge of the wall. The upper edge of the wall is thus firmly reenforced and held to proper shape for the reception of the flanged cover ll.

The lower edge of wall I4, which, as above stated, telescopes within the bottom flange I2, is, for the reasons previously set forth, provided at spaced points therearound with openings l9 as seen in Figures 3 and 5, and through these openings the prongs 20 of metallic fastening members 2! are forced into the inner surface of the bottom flange I! to thus anchor the fastening members 2| so that by their abutting engagement with the inner surface of wall I they confine thelatter at spaced points against displacement and at the same time allow for a limited movement of the wall circumferentially of the box bottom. This permissible limited relative movement is suflicient to take care of the relatively greater coeflicient of expansion of the wall I4 with respect to that of the bottom l0 and its flange J2 so as'to avoid wrinkling of the former under climatic changes.

Since the above fastening means engage the wall at circumferentially spaced points, an inner expanding and. reenforcing band 22 is employed to yieldingly bear against and hold the lower edge of wall ll in contact with the bottom flange l2 uniformly therearound. This band 22, like the upper reenforcing band I6, may be made of cardboard or other suitable material,

and is preferably secured to the inner surface of wall I by a suitable adhesive.

Thus the wall H, formed as previously described, is effectively reenforced at its upper and lower edges, and these reenforcements, cooperating with its overlapping connected ends I5, form a support which is sufliciently eflective to justify the use of very thin transparent material, .without in any way detracting from the pleasing appearance of the box as a whole.

It will be understood that the side wall of the container or box is preferably continuous so that the contained article may be viewed from any part of the side wall and it will also be understood that the contour of the box, instead of being round as shown, may be square, hexagonal or any other suitable shape.

What is claimed is:

1. A protecting of storing container for hats and other articles comprising a body and a cover or lid, the said body including a flanged bottom, a transparent flexible wall whose lower flexible edge telescopes within the bottom flange, means connecting the lower edge of the wall at spaced points therearound and at the same time allowing limited relative movement of the wall, and an expander within and around the said connected edge of the transparent wall for yieldably pressing the latter into flrm uniform contact with the flange of the bottom.

2. A protecting or storing container for hats and other articles comprising a body and a cover or lid, the said body including a flanged bottom, a transparent flexible wall having an upper reenforced edge to receive the cover and having its lower edge telescoping within the flange of the bottom and provided with openings at spaced points therearound, fastening members abutting the said lower edge of the wall and engaging the bottom flange through said openings 'to permit limited movement of the wall relative to said flange, and means for reenforcing the said lower connected edge of the wall and uniformly holding the same yieldably against the flange continuously along the latter.

3. A container of the character 'set forth comprising a flanged bottom, a-flanged cover, a. wall of thin flexible material extending continuously from said bottom to said cover and consisting of a single piece of transparent material having overlapping connected ends, disposed with its lower edge within the flanged bottom, wall holding members holding the lower annular edge of the transparent wall against the bottom flange, said members being in movable engagement with the said lower edge of the wall to permit circumferential creeping of the latter and thus compensate for expansion and contraction thereof relative to the flanged bottom.

LYNDE DE F. HOKERK. 

